


John: Be Infatuated with Karkat

by The_Otter_Knight



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Broken Noses, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Established Relationship, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Interspecies Relationship(s), John misspells when he's nervous, M/M, Misunderstandings, Other, Out of Character, Sollux is a lil shit, overreactions, repost of old fic from deleted account, this is a year old and doesnt make that much sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 19:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2163198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Otter_Knight/pseuds/The_Otter_Knight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It'll be fine," she said, "it'll work out."</p><p>Okay, Rose hadn't exactly said that, she did with more psychological lectures but that was what John had got out of it.</p><p>He decides to take her advice and confess to his kismesis that he felt more flushed feelings than pitch ones.  It doesn't go according to plan.</p><p>{Originally written March 6th 2013.}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. John: Be Infatuated with Karkat

The heir of breath frowned slightly, his index finger poised slightly over the _send_ button. His breath came out shakily, his bright blue eyes wavering slightly. John began to withdraw his finger, curling it towards his palm, a look of uncertainty filling his eyes. Hesitation was drawing him away from the computer, and he glanced around, trying his best not to even glance at it. "Maybe I shouldn't..." he hesitated again, swallowing nervously. His blue eyes darted towards Rose right next to him, her short cropped blonde hair almost reaching the tops of her eyebrows.

"Honestly, John. It's not going to kill you, I calculated everything and estimate that he will be very understanding and even welcome your offer." Her voice was chipper but her words held no meaning. John stared blandly at her, disbelief filling his blue eyes.

He sighed in defeat. "No, Rose. _He's_ going to fucking kill me. But I'm not gay."

He pulled a comical disgusted look and Rose tutted, leaning back in her rolling chair next to him. She brushed some strands of hair out of her face, a cross look slightly fluttering across her face. "More accurately, you aren't necessarily a homosexual. You don't look at other people right?" She added calmly, noticing John opening his mouth to reply. "That is setting aside when Dave and you had both decided to participate in a romantic relationship to figure out what the boundaries of your friendship was before reverting back to being the best of friends." She smiled coyly at the blue-shirted lad before reassuringly putting a hand on his shoulder. "Like I was stating before, before I had to add the fact that you had a former relationship with Dave, was that you aren't necessarily a homosexual. You are perfectly straight - but that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't be attached to a certain man of your choice."

Without warning, the blonde reached across John and pressed _send_ nonchalantly, as if expecting John to not message the bad-tempered troll at all. John stared at her dumbfounded, before glancing at his Pesterchum, uncertainty filling his gaze. Rose silently read over his shoulder, her mouth forming a straight line. Wait. Why was Rose was interested in John's love life -or more accurately his matespriteness, as it were-. Must have been spending too much time with Nepeta or some crazy shit like that, probably hanging out with the feline-like troll with Rose's budding interest in Kanaya. He didn't have time to worry about it right now. John wheeled his chair around, fingers poised on the keyboard, an odd but serious look on his face as he contemplated what to write next, while browsing nonchalantly at the text what had been sent instantaneously to the troll.

_ectoBiologist (EB) began pestering carcinoGeneticist (CG)_

_EB: Heyyyyyyyyyy, Karkat._

Rose blinked at John, drumming her fingers on the computer desk in disapproval. "Of all the statistically common things to start off a casual conversation before boldly stating your infatuation, you go with the one that is possibly most often _not_ used, diminishing the chances of his approval by probably by 15%." John glanced blankly at her, tried to comprehend what she had just stated. He cocked an eyebrow, opening his mouth to reply when a _ping!_ sounded.

_CG: WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT, EGBERT?_

John frowned to himself before reaching forward and beginning to type, seeming to momentarily forget that Rose was there.

_EB: To taaaaaaalk._

_CG: FUCKASS, WE **ARE** TALKING._

_EB: Don't be liek that. <3_

_EB: *like_

_CG: FUCK OFF, EGBERT. I HAVE SHIT TO DO._

_CG: I SHOULDN'T BE WASTING MY TIME WITH A LESSER BEING LIKE YOU._

_CG: I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M EVEN FUCKING TALKING TO YOU, FUCKASS._

_EB: It's something reeeeeeaaaaalllly important._

_CG: SO FUCKING IMPORTANT YOU HAVE TO FUCKING STRETCH OUT YOUR WORDS LIKE THAT?_

_CG: FUCKASS._

_CG: IT OBVIOUSLY ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT IF YOU CAN FUCKING DO THAT._

_CG: OTHERWISE YOU WOULD HAVE ALREADY SAID IT, FUCKASS._

_EB: Karkat, wait!_

_CG: FUCK OFF, EGBERT._

__carcinoGeneticist (CG) ceased pestering ectoBiologist (EB)._ _

John withdrew from the computer screen and frowned, feeling his black-rimmed glasses slide down the bridge of his nose before he absent-mindedly pushed it back up. He barely registered the fact that Rose was still standing beside him, with her hands on her hip and a look of disapproval on her face, shaking her head and sighing, muttering under her breath shallowly. John's fingers sped across the keyboard, a part of him unwilling to accept it.

_EB: Karkat, I know we're kissmess-what'sits._

_EB: Uh. Kismesisses._

_EB: Or whatever it is._

_EB: But this is really fucking important._

_EB: And I..._

_EB: You have no fucking clue how hard it is to tell you this.._

_EB: But I.._

_EB: Really._

_EB: Just wanted to say that.._

_EB: I may or may not happen to know someone who is completely and utterly flushed for you._

_EB: Like, mateship flushed._

_EB: Just wanted you to know._

_EB: And this person I know very well._

_EB: Don't want them to get hurt, you know?_

_EB: And I-_

_EB: You'rfte reakly goinh to hae me now._

_EB: *you're. **really. ***going. ***hate._

_EB: This person just doesn't want to come out nd say it._

_EB: **and_

_EB: Og gog, my spelfing sucks right now._

_EB: *oh. **spelling._

_EB: I'm not very good at this evasive tehhnique shit._

_EB: *technique_

_EB: Oh, fuck my spellfung._

_EB: But this is really fucking important. Honestly._

_EB: I can't keep evading this._

_EB: Can't keep telling myself that I don't._

_EB: When I truly do._

_EB: I dawn't keep pawning it off om someone I know._

_EB: I just need to tell you this._

_EB: I am utterly and completely flushed for you._

_EB: And as corny as thid sounds (like Nicolas Cage?), I can't imagine what I'd do if you didn't reincorpatattion the flushed feelings._

_EB: *reincorpatated_

_EB: **reincorporated_

_EB: Fuck it._

_EB: I care for you._

_EB: In a not-so-kiss-whatsits way._

_EB: And I can't imagine the "us" without "you" in my life._

_EB: I got to go now._

_ectoBiologist (EB) has ceased pestering carcinoGenetecist (CG)._

He took a deep breath, and suddenly found himself wanting to cry. Was it relief? Stress? Infatuation? Oh gog, he didn't even know. Rose patted the Heir of Breath reassuringly on the shoulder, before showing a wave of startlement as John hugged her solemnly. Rose patted his head before offering a soft smile, pushing him away from her lightly before pulling him out of his chair, leaning forward towards the computer and signed John off. "If my calculations were incorrect, I'll get Dave to punch him straight in the face, alright?" She tipped his face towards her and smiled softly, tiling her head, short blonde locks reaching her one shoulder as a result. "Now let's go and get you doing something to do to keep your mind idle from the thought of Karkat, alright?"

John offered a hesitant smile before smiling, glancing away before looking back at her again before slightly tilting his head, a brief indication of a nod. Rose visibly relaxed before grinning widely and gently tugging on John's sleeve, dragging him out and through the door, already helping him plan an upcoming prank for Jade. After wandering around aimlessly, they decided on a simple solution; an ultimate prank on an unsuspecting troll.

But perhaps, maybe they _shouldn't_ have done it.

* * *

**_Karkat: Be furious with John._ **

* * *

 

"WHAT THE HELL? YOU FUCKASS!" Karkat's voice rang shrilly through the room that often the trolls and humans would gather up in. John glanced at Rose through the corner of his eye, his thickly-rimmed glasses framing his eyes near-perfectly despite the fact that they were slightly askew, and that his hair was falling in unruly bundles, even a few locks falling across his glasses. John trembled like a leaf in the season they called autumn, his blue eyes wide and fearful, as he began to back up and felt his back reach the wall. His blue hood covered part of his forehead as he lowered his gaze, unwilling to glance at Karkat's seething expression.

Karkat, needless to say, was pissed. He clenched and unclenched his sharp teeth before running a hand through his ebony tresses, easily avoiding the candy-corn horns that sprouted from alongside his head. His slightly pointed ears flicked slightly, like John had seen a cat do before, before the mutant-blooded troll glanced back at him. He narrowed his red eyes, dropping his hand, which was now covered in what he simply hoped was green slime - and nothing else, and hopefully nothing pertaining to the green-blooded feline-graced troll and genetic material or blood.

His eyes were a dark yellow as he wrenched the bucket from his head, taking great offense in it. He tugged at it, withdrawing it with precision. John fell forward, his hands still gripping the string that had once attached the buckets to the door, where an unsuspecting person might just walk through and be submerged in green goop. But never, did John suspect that it would end up being Karkat that the bucket fell onto.

Of course, John knew plenty enough about trolls, taking time with learning about them, alongside Rose, seeing as they both fancied a troll themselves, and well, Dave just wasn't seeing Terezi anymore and Dave didn't really care about that sort of crap, and Jade - well, who knew what was going on inside _her_ head? But that was besides the point; John knew more about trolls than said trolls probably would have liked. So he perfectly well knew what buckets referenced to and what the substance would remind them off, and most certainly, they would take great offense in it.

But again, John didn't expect it to be _Karkat_ who triggered the trap.

"EGBERT, YOU SENSELESS AND IRRATIONAL DISGUSTING MISTAKE FOR A HUMAN!" Karkat spat, tugging at the bucket again to drag John forward. Seriously, John _needed_ to let go of that string. Seriously; before he gets killed. John numbly pried his fingers open, opening his bucktoothed mouth to object, to start explaining hurriedly that it was an accident, but nothing seemed to pour out; he could only gape soundlessly at the target of his infatuation.

Karkat continued to glower at John, trying to pry the green globs out of his hair, the slight curls proving to be difficult. He grumbled before continuing to stage and glare and mutter incoherent curses at John's trembling form, looking at the blue-robed human with disgust. "I HATE YOU." As soon as the words left his lips, which was crooked up in a snarl, John took a step back and once again pressed himself to the wall, his blue eyes dangerously wide, mildly worrying the only sane part in Karkat's mind, as well as mildly curious to know if they'd pop out of his head. John's bottom lip trembled and he bit at it, trying to show no emotion, like Dave would have done. But the damage had already been done, and his face morphed into that of one of emotional distress.

John whipped around, almost smacking into the wall again in his desperate attempt to run away. He dashed off, the air seeming to pick him up off his feet and help him flit away, as he desperately wiped under his black-rimmed glasses, trying to rid himself of his tears. Karkat glanced in confusion, his anger quickly diminishing until it was only a smoldering flame. Okay, what the fu-? A fist smacked right into his face, hard enough to startle the red-blooded troll into stepping back, his hand flying to his nose.

He glared at the bleach-blonde boy who stared defiantly back, the outline of his eyes barely visible behind his shades. Dave flipped him the bird before running after John, calling out his name and trying to shout out what sounded like encouraging words. Karkat glared at Rose for an explanation while he nursed his quite-possibly-broken nose, his mutated blood dribbling down. He dabbed at it self-consciously, almost glad that only Kanaya was there, and didn't seem to care in the least, but was more worried about her girlfriend's worried expression.

"Check your trollian, you insufferable sorry excuse for a troll," she finally mumbled, not often resorting to insults, to which Karkat's eyebrows rose and a smirk danced across his lips. Wow, was _she_ pissed or what? Rose frowned at his reaction and turned to Kanaya for reassurance, mumbling something before turning off in the direction of where John and Dave went, throwing a half-hearted glare over her shoulder at the male troll, further amusing and irritating the troll. Kanaya shook her head grimly at him, seeming to want to say something, but thought better before running after Rose.

_Okay then..._

Karkat mindlessly flipped open what was barely resembled what the humans called a cellphone, and popped open his trollian. What was Rose getting so worked up about, anyways? He grumbled to himself, still nursing his bleeding nose, satisfied that the bleeding had finally clotted before wiping away what remained off it, ridding himself it's existence. Oh look, ectoBiologist (John) has pestered him a while ago, after he told the human boy to screw off. But that was the only message he received from when he was offline and nobody else proved to be on, so it probably had something to do with the Heir or Breath.

With a grumble, he searched through the messages that John sent, his brows furrowing in what would be the equivalent for confusion and frowned, trying to understand what the Egbert kid was trying to say. Until his eyes caught the last few sentences, which made him widen his yellow-glazed eyes dramatically.

_EB: I care for you._

_EB: In a not-so-kiss-whatsits way._

_EB: And I can't imagine the "us" without "you" in my life._

_EB: I got to go now._

_ectoBiologist (EB) ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist (CG)._

...He was so fucked.


	2. Karkat: Realize Your Mistake

The steady hum of the computer was all that pleased the troll for the moment, strands of dark ebony hair falling across his brow as he bit venomously at his bottom lip, nipping at the darker flesh as he crouched on the chair, his knees brought to his chest and his crabtop posed in front of him. He scrutinized the chat again, an ever permanent frown splaying across his sharp and angular features.

_CG: SOLLUX, THIS SHIT IS SERIOUS_

_TA: Calm your 2hiit, KK._

_CG: CONSIDER MY SHIT CALMED_

_TA: Bull2hiit._

_CG: YEAH, WELL, FUCK YOU TOO_

_TA: Nah, iif there wa2 any fuckiing going around, iit would be between you and wiindy boy. And, that would be ju2t awkward._

_CG: ..._

_CG: SHIT, SOLLUX, THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. I'M IN A CRISIS HERE. I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOUR SICK FANTASIES._

_TA: Woah, II'm keeping all my 2iick fanta2iie2 to my2elf. But yeah, all you've saiid wa2 2omethiing about JH before goiing off on a rant._

_CG: YOU DIDN'T LISTEN TO ANY OF IT, DID YOU?_

_TA: No, II couldn't. II diidn't have my 2peaker2 on._

_CG: SMARTASS._

_TA: We already know that, KK._

_TA: But that'2 be2iide2 the poiint. We need to fiigure out a way for you to get iinto hii2 pant2 again._

_CG: SOLLUX_

_TA: Alright, II gue22 we have to fiigure out thii2 quadrant bu2iine22. Unle22 you go the hiigh road and travel wiith me, going 2olo. Be2iide2, iit'd be niice to have 2omebody el2e beiing alone. After all, everythiing goes better iin two2._

_CG: NO THANKS, SOLLUX. I ACTUALLY WANT MY QUADRANTS FILLED, WHETHER OR NOT THE DRONES COME AND CULL US ALL. I DON'T WANT TO BE ALL ALONE, SOLLUX._

_TA: Holy 2hiit, that wa2 kiind of deep._

_TA: Have you been watchiing more of your 2hiity redrom moviie2 agaiin?_

_CG: FUCK YOU. AND NO._

_TA: ...Sure, whatever you say, KK. But you better talk thiis over with JH. II mean, thii2 ii2 really 2tartiing to feel pale._

_CG: YEAH, WELL, KANAYA KIND OF RAN OUT ON ME TO HELP WITH ROSE WHO WAS HELPING JOHN. STRIDER WAS THERE THOUGH._

_TA: Go talk about thii2 wiith DV, then._

_CG: NO._

_CG: THE FUCKER BROKE MY NOSE._

_TA: He diid?_

_CG: YEAH._

_TwinArmageddons has become an idle chum!_

_TwinArmageddons is no longer idle._

_CG: ...DAMMIT, SOLLUX IT'S ALMOST BEEN ELEVEN MINUTES, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING?_

_TA: II could make a complete bucket reference riight there and say 'AA' and_

_TA: Oh, waiit, I ju2t diid._

_CG: WHATEVER._

_CG: BUCKETS DON'T BOTHER ME ANYMORE._

_TA: Bull2hiit. But iin all actualiity, II was ju2t congratulatiing DV for punchiing you iin the face._

_CG: WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK._

_TA: But he also 2ugge2ted that you go talk to JH. He says that R2 iis probably stiill with hiim, but iif you even hope to 2ort thii2 me22 out, you better talk iit over wiith hiim and deciide iif iit'2 worth iit trying to stiick with your faiiliing kii2me2ii2 or 2wap to a po22iible unrequiited mate2priit2hiip, or ju2t drop all your quadrant2 together. Which, iif II actually gave a damn about anyone's quadrants, would worry me. But II don't care._

_CG: WAIT, STRIDER ACTUALLY SAID ALL THAT._

_TA: More or le22._

_CG: WELL, THANKS, I GUESS._

_CG: UGH, THAT EVEN LOOKS STUPID. WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER TYPING A THANKS TO THAT._

_CG: ACTUALLY, DON'T ANSWER THAT._

_CG: OKAY, SOLLUX, I'LL GO TALK TO JOHN ABOUT THIS MESS._

_TA: Ju2t don't come cryiing to me when iit all fall2 apart._

_CG: SHOULDN'T YOU SENSE ALL SORTS OF DOOM THOUGH? WOULDN'T THIS COUNT AS DOOM?_

_TA: Probably and most liikely._

_TA: Now go get your human._

_CarcinoGeneticist ceased pestering TwinArmageddons._

_TA: Priick._

_CarcinoGeneticist started pestering TwinArmageddons._

_CG: FOR THE RECORD, WE ALL KNOW YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING STRIDER SO DON'T PRETEND THAT HE'S NOT IN THE SAME ROOM AS YOU WHEN YOU WHINED TO HIM ABOUT MY PROBLEMS. AND STOP PREACHING ABOUT ALL THAT LONER SHIT. DAMN, YOUR LIKE A FUCKING WRIGGLER. SERIOUSLY, JUST GO BACK TO FUCKING STRIDER, ALRIGHT? JUST KEEP THE NOISE LEVEL DOWN, GOG DAMMIT._

_TA: Lii2ten here, KK!_

_CarcinoGeneticist blocked TwinArmageddons._

_CarcinoGeneticist unblocked TwinArmageddons._

_TA: Don't thiink you could get away so ea2iily._

_CarcinoGeneticist ceased pestering TwinArmageddons._

_TA: Fucker._

Karkat gloated in satisfaction and awarded himself by smoothly smashing his crabtop shut, the bright green symbol glittering up at him as he slid it away. Well, Sollux could fuck whoever he wants, he decided sourly, setting down his knees and rubbing his bandaged nose. He grumbled under his breath, kicking the chair away as he half fell-half got off the rolling chair, and stumbled before smashing his knee against the floor and proceeded to smash his head against the bottom of the computer desk as he tried to get up. "Fuck," he groaned, rubbing along his head, his blood seemingly willing to pound louder in his ears. With a half-limp he began to stomp towards the door, kicking aside a spare chair as he went, feeling overall better about the situation that had occurred a few days prior.

The red-blooded troll slumped through the doorway, ignoring other's questioning stairs. He hadn't slept much since the break up with John. In truth, John was the only support that he had when the nightmares came. It felt so surreal, so numbing when the nightmares flooded back the first night and he woke himself, screaming into the silence of his heavily padded room, blood-red streaks staining his cheeks for nights on end before he calmed himself and gathered up the courage to leave the safety of both the public computer room and his own private chambers.

Sighing, he made his way down the hallway, tired eyes blinking through the darkness, his perfected troll vision making it remarkably easy to travel through the hallways. He reached out, palm up as he grazed it against the rough texture of the walls. As he passed down the hallway, he made up his mind. He'd end it with John. They both couldn't handle this; John couldn't handle swapping to kismesis, again, and Karkat couldn't possibly handle swapping to matesprits after having his taste of having an actual kismesis.

A figure danced along his line of vision and he glanced, letting his eyes adjust quickly to the low lighting and frowned, teeth marks having long since been gnawed into his lips. The young girl stood just outside of the hallway, her short cropped hair framing her face, her deep violet eyes glittering with well-hidden emotions as she watched him approach. When he stopped, just outside the door and in front of her, she pursed her thin black lips, a serious look crossing her face.

"I don't think it's best if you see him," she objected softly, as if afraid that John would be able to hear them from inside. Well, all the rooms were sound-proofed, well, most of them anyways, and even then, the door wasn't exactly sound proof. How the hell did you get a sound-proofed door, anyways?

"He's emotionally unstable right now, and doesn't need your bullshit to rile him up again. I only managed to get him to finally sleep now, so you'd better leave." When he didn't move, her eyes narrowed and her eyebrow quirked and he knew that he must have been pressing a button. He only raised an eyebrow and she sighed, still blocking his path. "Karkat, I'm serious." For a moment, some sort of emotion surfaced through her hardened mask before she gently reached out and patted him along the shoulder. "Please."

"I just need to talk with him," Karkat objected, his tone harsh but quieter from when he'd last spoken in outrage at the boy in question. "It'll only take a few moments." Her eyes were calculating, and for the briefest of moments, the ashen-skinned troll realized why Kanaya fell in such deep pity for her. Rose finally sighed before brushing aside a few locks of her stark blonde hair before sighing, glancing dubiously at him before stepping aside.

"Don't hurt him anymore," she whispered before moving away, the soft click of her shoes -seriously, who wears shoes here? he wondered- echoing down the hallway as he walked away. His frown deepened before he gathered his wits, and perhaps made the best decision of his life.

But then he opened the door and his whole plan fell apart.

John was sprawled along his best, the bed having long sunken low and now was practically a mattress with stunted legs that barely supported the fifteen year old. His glasses were askew, which mildly surprised Karkat as he would have assumed that Rose would have placed them elsewhere. His dark chocolate locks were falling across his brow, his mouth open slightly, his creamy skin looking slightly flushed beneath the heap of blankets that covered his lower body. His light blue shirt was askew, his god tier outfit abandoned somewhere nearby. Tear tracks were still visibly along his cheeks.

Hovering over John's frame uncertainly, Karkat leaned down to brush aside a stray lock of dark brunette hair. He reluctantly withdrew his hand, despite John's subconscious attempt to nuzzle into his palm. The troll curled his hand in on his chest, a strange but strong feeling pressing along his chest. Closing his dark grey eyes, he tipped his head back, simply breathing in John's scent with his acute senses.

Everything simply smelled of John here - oh wait, no surprise there, considering it was his room - and slowly, it dawned upon the lowblood that perhaps, he was quite royally fucked. With a sigh of self-loathing, he leaned down again and placed a gentle kiss along John's parted lips, his hand brushing along the other's cheek with a strangely gentle stroke. Well, despite the sharp pain that ran up through your bandaged nose it seemed like any other kiss, except, with no exact response.

This was for the best, he decided as he turned to leave. He hadn't even taken a step when a hand latched onto his wrist a bit weakly, causing the troll to freeze. Slowly and with mildly concealed amazement, he turned and glanced at the once-sleeping human.

"Kar...kat?" he mumbled out, his voice groggy with sleep, his blue-eyes heavily lidded.

"Go back to sleep, John," Karkat ground out, glancing over his shoulder helplessly at the open door, as if willing Rose to return and check up on them.

"Did you ... kiss me?" he asked, searching the troll's face with confused eyes, his bright gaze looked pasty and bloodshot from his recent crying. The candy-corn horned troll frowned and bit his lip, tugging his wrist away from John's hand, letting John's hand drop to the god tier's lap as he got up into a sitting position. "Karkat?"

"No!" Karkat said a bit too loudly, startling the other boy and earning a pitying glance. John's face fell as he glanced at his lap, his pale boxers just visible from beneath the covers. Karkat glanced away before turning to leave again. He couldn't deal with this; he couldn't handle with another failed matespritship, especially after Terezi. Besides, John deserves better than him, and maybe Vriska would be more suitable.

"Please, stay with me." Karkat froze mid-step before setting his foot down, glancing over his shoulder. Was John so keen on stopping him from leaving? But then the Heir of Breath's words registered and the troll frowned, despite the briefest of hopes that flickered in his eyes. "I don't want you to go." Karkat swallowed nervously, his eyes shifting towards the door.

With a soft sigh of resignation, the troll gently nudged John back, peeling the covers back just to make his way in, surprised at the sudden warmth that flooded him as John immediately took to curled up to the troll's chest, his head just beneath the other's chin. "We could try again, if you'd like," John murmured against Karkat's chest, and with a soft tenderness, Karkat managed to tip his head down and kiss the top of John's head.

"No. I think it'd be best if we did something else, and stayed away from the black quadrant," he hummed in response, his arms curling possessively around John as sleep fogged his brain and made him giddy with happiness. Why could he not see it before? "Perhaps we could try again ... as matesprits."

"Matesprits," John tested the word out on his tongue, his voice already growing heavy with sleep within the dark room. "That sounds nice." Karkat nodded in agreement, simply glad that John seemed to agree with the suggestion, especially since it seemed that John had suggested it first. "So, we're okay?"

"We're okay," the troll murmured, before pausing and chuckling, a strange sound to be heard from the usually feisty troll. The sound vibrated through his chest and only caused John to cuddle further into his chest, earning a small 'oof'. "But I don't know if I'll ever forgive you for spilling that bucket on my head. I thought I taught you about that."

"Hmm, it was fun though," John objected, stifling a yawn as he shuffled back to place a soft kiss to Karkat's lips.

"Fuckass," he murmured, despite the possibly innuendo that he might suffer as a result. John merely laughed and rubbed his nose along Karkat's, enjoying the sour look that crossed his face.

"Jerk." But he said it soft and tenderly, as if he never wanted to let Karkat go.

The best part of it all was the fact that Karkat wasn't exactly planning on letting John go either. Despite their bumps in their relationship ... despite everything they've faced and are _about_ to face, it'd all be worth it. As long as Karkat held John in his arms, he could fake that everything was okay in their messed up world. That for once, something would have a happy ending. If believing in something like that made somebody a fool, well, then that made Karkat a fairly big fool - but at least he would be a fool in love.

Now, if only they could get Sollux and Dave to lower the volume or get their room soundproofed...


End file.
